Horizon Transitional Village Opens in Berkeley - Providing Hope and Housing to the Unhoused Community
July 1, 2021
BERKELEY – Today the City of Berkeley, in partnership with Dorothy Day House, opened the Horizon Transitional Village, a new shelter in Southwest Berkeley that can accommodate 50 people at a time. In addition to a place to live, this facility will provide meals, workshops, services and more to Berkeley’s most vulnerable neighbors.
“The opening of this village is a new tool we have to combat homelessness and to provide new opportunities to lift up those in our community most in need,” said Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin. “This new shelter will help us address growing concerns in West Berkeley regarding the impacts of homelessness and to improve the quality of life in the area.”
Proposals to open a new shelter originated in January 2020, with plans for an outdoor shelter. For over a year, City Staff searched for a viable location, a difficult task given Berkeley’s limited space, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic reprioritizing staff work. Ultimately, while no outdoor location could be established, the City came into an agreement to lease an expansive warehouse with ample space to move forward with this proposal. In April 2021, the City approved a contract with Dorothy Day House to operate the shelter for an annual amount of $783,192. Funds will be provided by Measure P, a transfer tax increase approved by Berkeley voters in 2018 to provide ~$7 million annually for homeless services.
Dorothy Day House is no stranger to operating shelters, having operated the Berkeley Emergency Storm Shelter for over 15 years, an operation that has significantly expanded in recent years. Dorothy Day House is well versed in the needs of the unhoused population as well as the resources and systems that are available to build and foster connections that will ultimately work towards providing positive long-term solutions for the unsheltered homeless community members.
“Horizon Transitional VIllage goal is to bring joy to our participants through genuine care and productivity in their wellness journey,” said Robbi Montoya, Executive Director of Dorothy Day House. “Our successes will be measured in healthcare, housing stability, employment and a host of services through our vast City of Berkeley social service partners.”
According to the latest point-in-time count in 2019, there are 1,108 unhoused individuals living in Berkeley. This is an increase of 14% from 2017, whereas Alameda County saw a 43% increase during the same time period. Current estimates suggest the unhoused population could be higher in 2021 due to the economic impacts of COVID-19 which disproportionately impacted low-income communities. The City has made robust investments in affordable housing and supportive service. However, more investment is needed with state and federal support in order to accommodate housing for the entire unsheltered unhoused population, which accounts for 813 people in 2019, or 73% of the total unhoused population.
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